Data or information transmission systems are used, for example, to control and/or monitor a controlled and/or monitored external technical process. For that purpose, the data or information transmission system has at least one processing and memory device, in particular a microprocessor having an associated memory, and a visualization device drivable by the processing and memory device, in particular a screen. For coupling with the technical process, means for connecting external sensors or actuators of the controlled and/or monitored technical process are provided for the data or information transmission system.
In this context, for monitoring of the technical process the data or information transmission takes place substantially in one direction, namely from the technical process toward the visualization device. In order to control the technical process, however, the data or information transmission takes place substantially in the opposite direction, namely from the visualization device to the technical process. The present invention concerns data and information transmissions of the kind described above, as well as mixed forms of the kind described above. A “mixed form” is understood in this context as, for example, a data or information transmission that occurs substantially in the direction of the visualization device, the visualization device also having, in addition to mere information preparation for the user, operating capabilities which permit influencing of the technical process and thus require a data or information transmission to the technical process.
Data or information transmission systems of the type described above are known as process visualization systems. Because of the increased flexibility resulting therefrom, process visualization systems are increasingly being embodied in software.
The substantially data-supplying component, hereinafter the “server,” is in this connection, for example, a software component effecting the data transfer between the technical process and the processing and memory device. The component substantially data-utilizing component, hereinafter the “client,” is in this connection, for example, a software component effecting display of the data received from the client.
Conventional process visualization systems have the disadvantage, however, that the client or a higher-order container application contains a code designating the server, this code making it possible to use the services of the server (e.g., access to the data supplied by the server).
The result of this disadvantage is that a client embodied as a software component could not hitherto be implemented independently of a server embodied as a software component.